I fought to keep from rolling my eyes and pulled my soup closer. “You’re not giving her more candy, are you?”
Peasblossom hopped down to the table and scurried closer to Mother Hazel. “What is it? What is it?”
Mother Hazel set something down on the table, and I had to squint to make out what it was.
“Slippers?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Mother Hazel shrugged. “I heard about her misfortune. If she was to be walking more, I thought she would like her feet to be comfortable. But as I said, the timing is not what it could have been if you came to visit more often.”
Peasblossom hugged her presents to her chest, then quickly sat down and pulled the slippers onto her tiny feet. “I love them!”
I pulled out my phone to call Andy, then noticed I had fourteen text messages. A quick scroll told me half of them were from concerned Dresden citizens wanting to make sure I was all right after my “car accident,” and the others were from people wanting to know if I could stop by while I was in town to help them with a “small problem.”
Mother Hazel drifted over to the cauldron and gave it a stir. The air filled with the scent of boiling meat, and I kept my eyes firmly on my phone as I dialed Andy’s number. During my last case, I’d encountered a wizard who’d raised the question of my mentor’s diet. I’d known who she was for a long time. And everyone had heard tales of Baba Yaga. Whether or not she actually ate people from time to time was up for debate. And I wasn’t in a terrible hurry to find out for sure.
Andy answered on the second ring. “How’d it go?”
I smiled in spite of myself. My FBI partner sounded ten times better than he had in months. Upbeat, strong. Therapy must be going well.
“Arianne Monet is hiring me,” I said, letting my surprise show in my voice. “We have a case. How do you feel about going after a murdering Otherworldly human smuggler?”
“Sounds serious.” I heard papers shuffling, then the creak of a chair as if he’d stood up. “Is the Vanguard involved?”
“No. Whoever it is has been smuggling Others, not humans.”
“So the Vanguard only gets involved if humans are involved?”
“Usually. They’ll get involved with disputes and crimes between Others, but only if the conflict poses a threat to humans, or an Other specifically asks them to step in. Which very few people are willing to do, because asking them to step in means giving them permission to stick their nose in your business. And no Otherworlder wants that.”
“They were willing to step in when they thought you had something to do with the skinwalker’s murder,” Andy reminded me.
“There was a demon involved,” I explained. “Demons prey on humans, and there’s an entire department devoted just to them. And since I’ve done some work for them, I’m a sort of unofficial representative of the Vanguard. It reflects poorly on them if I’m involved in a murder.”
Andy snorted, but didn’t comment on what he thought of the Vanguard’s reputation. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure I’ll be able to help with this one. Between my caseload at work and home repairs, I don’t know that I’ll have time.”
He changed his tone a little when he said “home repairs,” letting me know that he wasn’t talking about fixing up his house. That was our code for the case we were trying to build against Flint. I doubted the sidhe had bugged our phones, and Andy was working that particular case from a friend’s house just in case Flint had his house wired, but still.
“You should get help though. Ohio is fifth in the nation for human trafficking. Large urban centers and rural counties, plus a large transient and immigrant population. Not to mention five major highways with easy access to other states and Canada.”
“I never thought of it that way. That’s horrifying.”
“It is. And it means you’ll have a lot of bad guys to choose from.”
I drummed my fingers on the table. “Arianne thinks werewolves are involved. The victim’s injuries look like claw marks. She said smugglers like to employ shifters because they can interfere with the police dogs trained to sniff out human and material contraband.”
“Then I’d suggest you call Liam.”
My shoulders relaxed a little. I was glad he’d said it first. “I plan to. Cause of death was listed as an animal attack, so Liam has to be involved in the case already.”
“You think he’ll be all right with you joining the case? You mentioned he wanted to keep some distance as long as Flint still hasn’t called in his favor, and as long as you’re still under contract.”
I winced. “It might be complicated.”
“Might help if you tell him Flint’s still in Europe. Last I heard, he’s making a big show of not being bothered by the destruction of his mother’s artifacts. He’s too busy being seen not caring to worry about you and Liam.”
“That would be nice,” I muttered.
“Liam’s a practical man. When he finds out Arianne has information relevant to the case, and she’s willing to share that information with you, he’ll want you on the team. I’m guessing he knows how Arianne feels about law enforcement.”
“I’m sure,” I agreed. “All right then, looks like I’m headed to the Rocky River Reservation.”
“Good luck. Let me know how it turns out.”
I ended the call and finished my soup, then put my bowl in the sink before sitting back down to make another call. I was scrolling through my contacts for Liam’s number when Peasblossom reached out to tap me on the arm.
Static electricity zapped me with a sharp pinch, and I yelped and almost dropped my phone.
“Ow!” I rubbed my arm where she’d shocked me, glaring at the new slippers. New fuzzy, static-collecting slippers. Fantastic.
“What?” Peasblossom demanded. “I didn’t do anything!”
“Don’t scuff your feet when you walk,” I warned her. “You’re building up too much static.”
Peasblossom scowled, making a big show of tapping me repeatedly to prove she was no longer charged before climbing up my arm. I winced as I felt the hum of static building as her new fuzzy slippers dragged over the soft cotton of my shirt. I glared at Mother Hazel where she stood stirring her cauldron. She’d planned this.
“I should be going,” I said, standing up. “Thank you for the tea. And the soup.”
Mother Hazel nodded. “You will help Arianne. It is no small thing that she trusted you.”
“I know. I’ll do my best.”
Mother Hazel smiled and came closer. Suddenly her hand slashed through the air. I felt something hit me, a surge of energy that made my head throb and my lips tingle.
“What was that?” I croaked.
“A binding. You may not tell that leannan sidhe anything about this case. So say I.” She sniffed. “You’re welcome.”
The porch creaked as I made my way out the door, and I stopped to pat the railing before going to my car. The house shifted its legs in playful warning, and I smiled and shook my head. Incorrigible.
I fastened my seatbelt and started the car before calling Liam, letting the heater warm up. It was almost October, and the air was already sharp and crisp, just enough to warrant turning on the heat for Peasblossom.
With a nervous twitch in my stomach, I headed for the Rocky River Reservation, and the local alpha werewolf.
Chapter 3
Not everyone on staff at the Rocky River Reservation Police Force was a werewolf.
But a lot of them were.
Enough that word of my arrival reached Liam before I’d finished speaking to the secretary that guarded the entrance to the secure area of the reservation. The click of the electronic lock plucked at my nerves, drawing my attention as the door swung open to reveal Detective Sergeant Liam Osbourne.
The alpha werewolf took up more space than what his six foot and change body occupied. His aura pulsed around him, a buzzing cloud that ranged from “warm summer day” to “my clothes are on fire,” depending on the alpha’s mood. I held
my breath as I passed the secretary’s cubby, relieved when I felt a brush of warmth. Calm alpha.
“Shade.”
“Hi, Liam.”
The secretary’s attention bounced back and forth between us, her hand twitching with the desire to get on the phone and start the gossip chain over my arrival. A few months ago, a member of Liam’s pack had pointed out to me that it was unusual for a non-pack member to feel the auras of the pack. She’d also pointed out the intensity I felt from Liam indicated not only his power, but the fact he was…unattached. If the secretary was anything to go by, word had spread.
“Could we talk in your office?” I asked.
In one quick second, his gaze slid down my body, then back up. I didn’t know if it was sexual or an instinctive weapons check, but either way, it gave me a nice little jolt. My cheeks heated, and I scowled. I was too old to blush. By at least a century.
Liam kept the security door from closing with one booted foot, as he gestured back toward the hall leading to his office with one thumb. “Let me get you signed in.”
“What’s with the once over?” Peasblossom groused. “Does he think you’re angling to get him alone for a kiss? Where’s the professionalism?”
I accepted the clipboard Liam handed me and signed my name. “Once again, Peasblossom, he can hear you. If I can hear you, he can hear you. Always.”
Peasblossom leaned out from her position behind my hair and eyed Liam. “Did you hear me?”
Liam turned to lead the way to his office. “Yes.”
He didn’t add anything else, but left me to follow him.
“It’s rude to eavesdrop,” Peasblossom admonished him primly.
I was no prude. Nor was I a virgin. But it’s hard not to squirm when you’re with someone who can… Well, to put it bluntly, smell your interest. How could one be subtle under circumstances like those? And he wasn’t the only werewolf in the vicinity who would pick up on it.
Blake and Sonar passed by on their way to the coffee maker. Blake’s eyebrows rose when he spotted me. Sonar avoided my gaze. I hadn’t seen the female shifter since the case I’d helped Liam with at New Moon Recovery Center. When I’d seen her human form. And more importantly, heard her human voice with its Sanguennayan accent.
I made a mental note to find the time to talk to her about that, then followed Liam into his office. He circled around his desk to stand behind his chair. Both were piled high with folders, but the two chairs in front of his desk were empty. If I were a less charitable witch, I might have said Liam was deliberately keeping the desk between us. The thought made me feel a little better.
“On the phone you said you had information about one of my animal attack cases,” he said finally.
I unzipped my waist pouch. “Bizbee, could I please have Jamila’s file?”
“Jamila?” Liam asked.
The grig handed up the folder without showing his face. I passed it to Liam.
“The photos are on top,” I warned him.
He quirked an eyebrow, then opened the folder. His jaw tightened. “You said her name was Jamila?”
“Jamila Samaha. You didn’t have her name?”
Liam leafed through the file, probably looking to see if there was anything in it that wasn’t in his copy. “No. She didn’t have any identification on her when she was found.” He looked up. “Her name isn’t in the file. This is an exact copy of what I have. Do I want to know how you got it?”
“Arianne Monet,” Peasblossom supplied. “So, no, you probably don’t.”
“Arianne Monet?” Liam echoed. “From Suite Dreams?”
“Yes.” I hesitated. “You can’t repeat anything I’m about to tell you. And I’m going to have to ask for your word that you won’t act on anything I tell you either. In a legal capacity.”
Liam tapped one finger against the file in his hand while he studied me. “How bad?”
“I don’t have a problem with what she’s doing,” I said simply.
“Me neither,” added Peasblossom.
He nodded, once. “You have my word.”
It was such an unexpected expression of trust, I felt warm and fuzzy in a way that had nothing to do with his aura. “Arianne has been helping refugees from Syria come to the United States. She hides them in her hotel until she can get them paperwork.”
“Actually, I knew about that.”
“You did?”
“Arianne is very generous when it comes to the Cleveland police,” Liam said dryly. “I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that she hosts our semi-annual awards recognition ceremony—no charge.”
“Does she now?” I tilted my head. “And does she also offer rooms for free to any officers that may feel too tired or too drunk to drive home?”
“She does,” Liam confirmed.
Peasblossom flew to the top of my head and flopped down, holding onto my hair to steady herself. “So she gets a semi-annual peek at the dreams of a bunch of cops? You know she’s reading their minds?”
“It’s not exactly mind-reading.” I bit the inside of my lip. “Though it would let her poke around in their heads.”
“Needless to say, none of my people stay there,” Liam added.
I shrugged. “Better safe than sorry. But, honestly, shifters aren’t as vulnerable to that sort of thing. You have a dual consciousness. If Arianne tried to poke around in your dreams—I mean, if she tried not just to watch them, but to manipulate them or interact with them—your wolf would have something to say about it. She’d get a good bite, at least.”
Liam blinked at me. I frowned. “You didn’t know that.”
“No. Remind me to ask you more about that later.” He gestured to the file. “Tell me what else you know about Jamila.”
I nodded and reached for my waist pouch again. “Let me grab a soda. I’ll need it for this one.”
I’d just taken a breath to ask Bizbee for a Coke, when Liam held something out to me. I glanced up, surprised to see him holding out a familiar red can.
“Fridge under the desk,” he explained.
“I didn’t think you drank soda.” I said, accepting the drink.
“I don’t.”
I stared at him for a second, and he held my gaze. I thought his aura warmed a degree or so, but that could have been me.
“Thank you,” I said finally.
I cracked open the can and took a fortifying sip before telling Liam everything I’d learned from Arianne, Iman, and Echo. By the time I was done, Liam had a white-knuckled grip on the edge of his desk, looking very much like he wanted to flip it over.
“All right,” he ground out. “We need to tell Kylie what you just told me. Dr. Dannon finished his autopsy yesterday, so Kylie’s looking at it today to see if she can find anything a human coroner might have missed.”
In other words, Kylie would confirm if Jamila was killed by werewolves.
He came around his desk, then paused with his hand on the door. “Will Agent Bradford be joining us?”
“No, the FBI is keeping him busy. And he’s working on a side project I’ll tell you about later.”
Liam nodded. “What about Scath?”
“We should pick her up first.”
Liam opened the door and let me leave first before following. “She didn’t go with you to Mother Hazel’s?”
“She showed a definite preference for not being around my mentor,” I said dryly. “I don’t blame her though. Not many people go to that house willingly.”
“Are you going to say anything about my new slippers?” Peasblossom asked Liam, giving her feet a pointed look. She was still sitting on my head, her legs straight out in Liam’s direction.
“Peasblossom, there are humans here,” I murmured, pausing before walking out the door.
“Those are very nice slippers,” Liam said, using a tone I usually associated with someone trying to talk a jumper off a bridge.
Peasblossom flattened herself against my scalp, and a shiver of energy told me she’d finally
made herself invisible. I didn’t know why she didn’t just hide under my hair as per usual, but I wasn’t going to argue now.
Liam led me through the cubicles and out the back door of the station into the staff parking lot. As soon as I got into his official vehicle, the familiar scent of forest and wolf mixed with oiled leather and metal teased my senses, reminding me of other times I’d ridden along with him on a case. It felt familiar and unsettling at the same time.
“How are you?”
Liam’s question caught me off guard, and I paused with my lips on the edge of my soda. “I’m fine.”
Liam waited, still watching me, his keys in his hand resting on his lap.
I sighed. “Something’s going on with Flint. And Scath.” I almost added Andy to the list, but he was doing so much better, it didn’t seem relevant anymore. So instead, I told Liam about my suspicions about Flint’s involvement in the case last April about the political fixer who’d witnessed the torture and murder of a centaur, and then Flint’s interference in Simon’s memory of the Otherworld.
Liam started the truck and drove to the coroner’s as I explained my theory that the artifacts Flint had asked me to retrieve hadn’t really been destroyed. And that the illusion of their destruction had been part of Flint’s plan. After a slight hesitation, I told him about Scath, and what the oracle at Nightcap had said. Liam listened to all of it, the crease between his brows getting deeper with every revelation.
“So you think the cases he’s assigning you are linked,” he said when I’d finished. “You think it’s all working up to something.”
“At this point, it’s just a hunch,” I admitted. “I can’t see a connection. And it’s only two cases. But Andy has worked in the FBI’s organized crime division for years, and he’s very motivated to figure it out. And Peasblossom has introduced him to some new sources, like the pixies in Cleveland. And then there’s Echo.”
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